I had my 4th lesson today. I have watched a lot of lessons and have a lot of theory, but am just now getting to put that theory to practice. Today I was working on posting on the correct diagonal, getting the correct leads when loping, and leg yields. I love this horse. He makes me laugh so hard. He is always thinking, especially when ropes are concerned. He will sit there and nibble and toss his head and try to undo the rope, when he gets it undone, he walks about 10 feet away and stands there. He's an extremely mellow horse, yet he makes the riders ride and work.

Please remember that I am a relatively new rider, (and don't comment on my size because I'm already self conscious enough about that).

A note on the stirrups--today I felt like my feet were slipping in them so we decided to raise them a little today to see if that helped. It seemed to, but now I feel it in my knees. I may try my daughter's saddle next time to see if I get a better fit.

Things I find myself struggling with: reins. I can't figure out how to hold them correctly. I'm also struggling on leg placement. We're working on that.
(Wrong diagonal)
and, the halter I made a couple of weeks ago

hold them with one hand. Your doing it the english way by holding the reins like your riding english :)
Its okay to do that but I suggest holding with one hand and one hand behind your back.. I know what you mean about the leg issue I have that problem with it going way to far back just place it underneath you in front of the leg... Anyways you look good for your 4th lesson :)
More lessons will help you with your leg issue.

hold them with one hand. Your doing it the english way by holding the reins like your riding english :)
Its okay to do that but I suggest holding with one hand and one hand behind your back.. I know what you mean about the leg issue I have that problem with it going way to far back just place it underneath you in front of the leg... Anyways you look good for your 4th lesson :)
More lessons will help you with your leg issue.

My instructor wants me to use both hands. I trust her, she's good at what she does, so I'll stick with what she wants me to do. I know she's explained to me once why she wants me to use 2 hands, but I'll ask again at the next lesson.

I think you look FANTASTIC for your fourth lesson, and the expression on your face is so awesome, looks like you're really enjoying yourself! (Especially in the wrong diagonal picture). I would say keep your shoulders square and back a little more, but that's the best I can do for western critiquing :)

Heels down will fix alot of your questions and your knees won't take so much of the brunt if your heels are down but right now your toes are down. Also, if your heels are down you will be able to wrap your legs around barrel better and you may find your stirrups are still too long at that point.

Also an added thing about the reins, try to point your thumbs up, so your not holding your fists flat. If your hands so that your thumbs are pointed upwards then you will have a better hold on the reins I think.

Register Now

In order to be able to post messages on the The Horse Forum forums, you must first register.

Already have a Horse Forum account?
Members are allowed only one account per person at the Horse Forum, so if you've made an account here in the past you'll need to continue using that account. Please do not create a new account or you may lose access to the Horse Forum. If you need help recovering your existing account, please Contact Us. We'll be glad to help!

New to the Horse Forum?Please choose a username you will be satisfied with using for the duration of your membership at the Horse Forum. We do not change members' usernames upon request because that would make it difficult for everyone to keep track of who is who on the forum. For that reason, please do not incorporate your horse's name into your username so that you are not stuck with a username related to a horse you may no longer have some day, or use any other username you may no longer identify with or care for in the future.

User Name:

Password

Please enter a password for your user account. Note that passwords are case-sensitive.

Password:

Confirm Password:

Email Address

Please enter a valid email address for yourself.

Email Address:

OR

Log-in

User Name

Password

Remember Me?

Human Verification

In order to verify that you are a human and not a spam bot, please enter the answer into the following box below based on the instructions contained in the graphic.

Old Thread Warning

This thread is more than 90 days old. When a thread is this old, it is often better to start a new thread rather than post to it. However, If you feel you have something of value to add to this particular thread, you can do so by checking the box below before submitting your post.I am aware that this is an old thread and I want to revive it rather than starting a new thread.